Solomon

Darwin and Palmerston

Marginal Country Liberal 1.8%

MP

Natasha Griggs (CLP) since gaining this seat at the 2010 election.

Profile

Solomon is an electorate of 337 square kilometres covering the Darwin metropolitan area, incorporating the Darwin and Palmerston City Council areas. It was first created ahead of the 2001 election and has been a marginal electorate at every election since. (Map)

Background

Solomon is named after Vaiben Louis Solomon (1853-1908), who has been described as the Northern Territory's founding father of Federation. He served on Palmerston District Council for 17 years (Palmerston was the original name of Darwin) and in 1880 was elected to represent the Territory in the South Australian Parliament. He was a delegate to the 1898 Constitutional Convention, and served in the first Commonwealth Parliament 1901-1903.

This seat was a tight tussle at its first contest in 2001, the CLP at one point coming close to disendorsing its candidate Dave Tollner, while the Labor Party was disadvantaged when its strong candidate withdrew and took a senior position in the newly elected Martin Labor government. In the end Tollner was elected by just 88 votes, but he won with more ease in 2004 after a 2.7% swing against Labor. In 2007 Tollner was narrowly defeated and in 2008 was elected to the Northern Territory's Legislative Assembly as member for Fong Lim in 2008 and these days is Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory.

Tollner was defeated in 2007 by Labor's Damian Hale by just 196 votes, but with a swing against Labor in 2010, Hale was unable to withstand a challenge from the CLP's Natasha Griggs.

2011 Census Profile

Solomon has the nation's second lowest proportion of residents aged over 65 (6.2%), the sixth highest proportion of indigenous residents (9.6%) and the third lowest proportion of fully owned dwellings (16.2%). These statistics reflect the fact that on average Indigenous Australians die at an younger age than other Australian, and also that the Territory's non-Indigenous population tends to be transient.

2013 Ballot Paper (9 Candidates)

Candidate Name

Party

METCALF, Krystal

Sex Party

CAMPBELL, Trudy

Citizens Electoral Council

WILLIAMS, Todd

Australian Greens

BURGESS, Martin

Voluntary Euthanasia Party

GOSLING, Luke

Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory) Branch

SELLICK, Paul

Rise Up Australia Party

SPAIN, Stephen Christopher

Palmer United Party

GRIGGS, Natasha

Country Liberals (NT)

CUMMINGS, Eileen

A.F.N.P.P.

Candidates

Trudy Campbell

Citizens Electoral Council

Campbell is a mother of four and has worked as a registered nurse in midwifery, geriatrics and ICU for nearly 30 years. She moved to Darwin several years ago from Victoria where she spent most of her life, including working as a full-time CEC organiser. Campbell contested this seat at the 2010 election and was the CEC candidate for the Victorian rural seat of Mallee in 2004.

Todd Williams

Luke Gosling

Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory) Branch

Gosling is the eldest of eight children and has spent the last 11 years in Timor-Leste and the Top End. He started his working life with Defence, spending 13 years in the Army with leadership roles in Parachute Infantry, Commandos, Defence Cooperation Programs, the Territorys Norforce, as well as overseas service in PNG, Malaysia and Timor-Leste. Since leaving Defence Gosling has worked in community development and in 2002 co-founded Life, Love and Health, an Australian volunteer charity for Timor-Leste. For his work helping in Timor-Leste Gosling was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2006 and Timor-Leste Presidential Medal of Merit in 2009. In 2007 Gosling started up the Remote Area Health Corps  a Territory based, federally funded program to prepare and provide GPs, Nurses, Dental and Allied Health professionals to remote NT health centres. He has also worked as an advisor to Labor Senator Trish Crossin and as CEO of the NT St Vincent de Paul Society.

Stephen Christopher Spain

Natasha Griggs

Country Liberals (NT)

44 year-old Griggs was raised in Alice Springs before moving up the track to Darwin to complete a Bachelor of Business degree. Griggs served on Palmerston City Council from 1998 and served as Deputy Mayor before winning Solomon at the 2010 election. Griggs has also worked in an executive position with the NT Department of Business and Employment and previously served in a number of managerial positions in the private sector.